Join us in this episode as we explore the persistent and universal reality of temptation. Adrian Rogers delves deeply into understanding temptation, not merely to resist but to transform it into a triumph of faith. Drawing from Scriptural truths, discover how to turn these daily challenges into opportunities for spiritual growth in grace and knowledge.
Known for his unique ability to simplify profound truth so that it can be applied to everyday life, Adrian Rogers was one of the most effective preachers, respected Bible teachers, and Christian leaders of our time. Thanks for joining us for this message. Here’s Adrian Rogers.
SPEAKER 02 :
Turn with me today to 1 Corinthians chapter 10. And in a moment, we’re going to begin reading in verse 12. BACK TO THE BASICS, CHRISTIANITY 101. WE’VE TALKED TO YOU ABOUT HOW WE KNOW THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD. WE’VE TALKED TO YOU ABOUT HOW TO BE SURE YOU’RE SAVED. WE’VE TALKED TO YOU ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CHRISTIAN SINS. WE’VE TALKED ABOUT HOW TO BE SURE YOU’RE SECURE. WE HAVE TALKED TO YOU ABOUT HOW TO BE CLEANSED IF YOU DO FALL INTO SIN. NOW TODAY, HOW TO TURN TEMPTATIONS INTO TRIUMPHS, NOT SIMPLY TO OVERCOME TEMPTATION, BUT ACTUALLY TO USE TEMPTATION AS A MEANS TO GROW IN THE GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. LOOK AT THE SCRIPTURE IF YOU WILL, VERSE 12, WHEREFORE LET HIM THAT THINKETH HE STANDETH, Take heed lest ye fall. There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. But God is faithful, who will not suffer you or allow you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it. WHEREFORE, MY DEARLY BELOVED, FLEE FROM IDOLATRY.” WELL, WHAT A WONDERFUL PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE THIS IS. MAN IN GENERAL TRIES TO OVERCOME TEMPTATION OR DEAL WITH TEMPTATION IN THREE WAYS. SOME PEOPLE JUST SIMPLY GIVE INTO IT. They’re like the lady who said, I can overcome anything but temptation. They just yield to it. And we have a philosophy today that says, don’t worry about temptation. If it feels good, just do it. Whatever is natural is beautiful and whatever is beautiful must be right. And so these people live like animals. Animals eat when they want to eat and drink when they want to drink and sleep when they want to sleep and mate when they want to mate. An animal lives for self-gratification, self-preservation, self-propagation. We have a generation of people who are living just like animals. And why not? THEY’VE BEEN TAUGHT IN SCHOOL THAT THEY HAVE EVOLVED FROM ANIMALS, THEY’RE JUST A MORE INTELLIGENT ANIMAL, AND WE OUGHT NOT TO BE SURPRISED WHEN THEY TRY TO LIVE LIKE ONE, SHOULD WE? SO THERE ARE FOLKS WHO JUST SIMPLY SAY, WELL, JUST GIVE IN TO TEMPTATION. THEN THERE ARE OTHER FOLKS WHO, ON THE OPPOSITE EXTREME, THEY SPEND ALL OF THEIR TIME FIGHTING TEMPTATION, BUT THEY FIGHT TEMPTATION IN THE STRENGTH AND ENERGY OF THE FLESH. And they fight and they fail and they fight and they fail and they fight and they fail. They’re very much like the little boy who was sitting under the farmer’s apple tree and the farmer saw him and said, what are you trying to do, steal an apple? He said, no sir, I’m trying not to. But a lot of times we try not to, but we do. But of course the way is neither just simply giving in to temptation, nor fighting temptation in the strength of our flesh, but overcoming temptation through the Lord Jesus Christ and turning temptation into triumphs. Now I want to give you several things that begin with the letter S as a memory device to help you to remember them as we think about how to turn temptations into triumphs. And the very first thing I want you to think about is this, the subjects of temptation. WHO IS TEMPTED? WHO ARE THESE FOLKS WHO ARE THE SUBJECTS OF TEMPTATION? WELL, THE BIBLE TELLS US IN VERSE 12, WHEREFORE LET HIM THAT THINKETH HE STANDETH TAKE HEED LEST HE FALL. NOW THAT’S JUST SIMPLY A WARNING TO ALL OF US. WE’RE ALL SUBJECT TO TEMPTATION. YOU SAY, EVEN YOU PASTOR ROGERS? OF COURSE. YOU SAY, WELL, I DIDN’T KNOW THAT PREACHERS ARE TEMPTED. WELL, THE LORD JESUS WAS TEMPTED. AND CERTAINLY SATAN WOULD AIM HIS BIGGEST GUNS AT THOSE IN THE MINISTRY OR SPIRITUAL LEADERS. THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT ALL OF US ARE FACED EVERY DAY WITH UNBELIEVABLE TEMPTATIONS IN ALL KINDS OF AREAS. PRIDE AND MATERIALISM AND DISHONESTY AND GREED AND THE LUST OF THE FLESH AND ALL OF THESE. AND BEING SAVED WILL NOT MAKE YOU IMMUNE. THAT BRINGS ME TO SAY THIS, IT IS NOT A SIN TO BE TEMPTED. We know that because Jesus was without sin and the Bible says that Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. But this verse is a warning against pride. Verse 12, wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth Take heed lest he fall. The proud man tempts the devil to tempt him. And if you think that you cannot fall, you are headed for a fall. Now, the man who is trying to fight temptation in his own strength also is a man that may be headed for a fall. Well, that brings an interesting question. If God really loves us, why doesn’t God make it impossible for us to be tempted? If God really loves us, why doesn’t God just kill the devil? Why doesn’t God just remove every allurement so we would not be tempted? Well, if God did that, you would lose something and I would lose something. You and I would both lose the power and the ability to be overcomers through the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I used to play football back in the olden days. and when the earth’s crust first hardened. And when I played football, I can tell you that it seems like I have deposited buckets of blood and gallons of sweat on that football field. And we would work and practice and connive and hit and do all of these things, go through all of these difficulties in order to take a bag full of zipped up air across a pasture and a white line on that field. It really kind of sounds dumb when you think about it. But when you finally get that piece of pig skin over that white line, they call that a touchdown and everybody goes bananas. We have done it. We have taken that ball across that line. Well, we’re trying to do that. And there’s a group of fellows on the other side say, you’re not going to do that. You are not going to. And we’re over here saying, oh, yes, we are. And they’re over there saying, oh, no, you’re not. That’s what the game is all about, ladies. That’s the whole thing. All right, now. I have figured it out. That’s really a foolish way to do is to come out there when those other guys are there. What we need to do is come out there about 2 a.m. in the morning when the other team is not out there, and then we can take that ball and shove it over that white line as many times as we want, right? Well, yes, theoretically, we could do that, but why don’t people do that? Because that’s no victory. That’s no victory. If there’s no opposition, THERE’S NO VICTORY. GOD HAS NOT CALLED YOU TO A LIFE OF EASE, BUT HE HAS CALLED YOU TO A LIFE OF VICTORY THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. AND THANKS BE UNTO GOD WHO CAUSES US ALWAYS TO TRIUMPH IN HIM, IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. SO THE SUBJECTS OF TEMPTATION, WE’RE ALL SUBJECT TO TEMPTATION. EVEN THE LORD JESUS WAS TEMPTED YET WITHOUT SIN. SECONDLY, I want you to notice the source of temptation. Now look in the next verse. The Bible says there has no temptation taken you, but such as is what? Common to man. You say, Pastor Rogers, I have a very special temptation. No, you don’t. You have a garden variety temptation. All temptation is very common and we are all tempted. have the same kinds of temptation from the same sources. Actually, there are only three sources of temptation, the world, the flesh, and the devil. Have you got it? THE WORLD, THE FLESH AND THE DEVIL. NOW GET THAT IN YOUR MIND BECAUSE THAT’S IMPORTANT TO HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND LATER ON. YOU KNOW THE BIBLE SAYS IN FIRST THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 5 AND VERSE 23, AND I PRAY GOD YOUR WHOLE SPIRIT AND SOUL AND BODY BE PRESERVED BLAMELESS UNTO THE COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. NOW THE DEVIL IS GOING TO TEMPT YOU IN THE AREA OF THE SPIRIT, THE SOUL AND THE BODY. And how is the devil going to tempt you in the area of the spirit, the soul, and the body? He’s going to tempt you with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Now this is going to seem complicated for just a few minutes. So just concentrate and then it will all come together. What is the world? When we say the devil is going to tempt you, are you going to be tempted with the world? What is the world? Well, we’re not talking now about the people of the world. That’s not what the Bible means when it says the world. God so loved that world that He gave His only begotten Son. If God loves that world, you ought to love it. It’s fine to love the people. And He’s not talking about the planet. the rocks and the trees and the birds and the bees and the fleas. He’s not saying that these things are wrong. No, the material world is good and wonderful. Who made this world? This is my Father’s world. He created it. When God swung this planet into space, when God scooped out the seas and heaped up the mountains and flung out the sun, moon, and the stars, God said, that is good. So never let the devil tell you that the material world is evil. It is not evil. Things are not evil. The material world is not evil. But the Bible says we’re to love not the world. Let me give you some verses, for example. Just jot these in the margin. 1 John chapter 2 and verse 15. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. For if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Or Romans chapter 12, verse 2, the Bible says, be not conformed to this world. Or James 4, verse 4, friendship with the world is enmity or warfare with God. You say, well, pastor, if it’s not the people of the world and it’s not the earth, it’s not the planet, what is the world? Well, the word world is the word cosmos. And it means a system, an order, You see, there is a system, an order, a philosophy that the Bible calls the world. It is entrenched and systematized evil, and you and I are not beloved. I think I can illustrate this. Over in 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 3, God is telling a saved wife how to be beautiful and attractive to her husband. And it says, who’s adorning? Let it not be that outward adorning of the plaiting of the hair, putting on gold, or the wearing of apparel, but let it be the hidden person of the heart. And the word adorning in 1 Peter 3 verse 3 is the word that is the word translated world in over a hundred other places in the Bible. It’s the word cosmos. And it says, who’s adorning? Let it not be the fixing of the hair, the putting on of jewelry, the wearing of clothes. There’s a reason why when a woman puts her face on, she puts on what? Cosmetics, see. What’s she doing? She’s putting her face in order. Now James is not saying it’s wrong for a woman to wear cosmetics. Sometimes people say, do you think it’s a sin if women wear makeup? I think it’s a sin if some women don’t. He’s not saying it’s wrong to wear cosmetics any more than it’s not wrong to wear jewelry. As a matter of fact, God speaks of His saints as His jewels. He talks of that city in heaven as a city made up of jewels. HE’S NOT SAYING JEWELRY IS WRONG. IF YOU SAY THAT IT’S WRONG TO FIX YOUR HAIR, IT’S WRONG TO WEAR JEWELRY, ACCORDING TO 1 PETER 3, 3, YOU’D HAVE TO ALSO SAY IT’S WRONG TO WEAR CLOTHES. BECAUSE HE SAID, DON’T LET YOUR CLOTHES BE YOUR ADORNMENT. HE’S CERTAINLY NOT SAYING IN ORDER TO BE SPIRITUAL WE GO AROUND STARK NAKED. AND HE’S NOT SAYING THAT A WOMAN, IN ORDER TO WIN HER HUSBAND TO CHRIST, GOES AROUND LOOKING LIKE AN UNMADE BED OR A BARN THAT NEEDS TO BE PAINTED. HE’S NOT SAYING THAT. WHAT IS HE SAYING? He’s saying, whose cosmos? Let it not be the world, the order of the hairdresser, of the fashion store, of the jeweler. DON’T JUST LET THAT WORLD MOLD YOU. DON’T LET THAT WORLD SQUEEZE YOU IN. DON’T LET THAT BE WHAT MOTIVATES YOU AND GUIDES YOU AND CONTROLS YOU. DON’T LET THAT BE YOUR WORLD. NOW THE GUYS ARE SAYING, THAT’S RIGHT, TELL HIM PREACHER. HE’D SAY TO YOU, WHOSE WORLD? LET IT NOT BE THE WORLD OF SPORTS. or whose world let it not be the world of business, whose world let it not be the world of politics, whatever it is, you name it. If it’s not the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ, if number one in your life is not Jesus Christ, you’re whirling. You have bought into a system, no matter what it is. It doesn’t have to be hideous. The world does not have to be the dive, the discotheque. It doesn’t have to be the gambling den, the house of prostitution. JUST THE WORLD. IT, THE WORD IS THE COSMOS, A SYSTEM. NOW THAT’S ONE SOURCE OF TEMPTATION, THE WORLD. I CALL THE WORLD THE EXTERNAL FOE, THE EXTERNAL FOE. NOW, THERE’S ANOTHER SOURCE OF TEMPTATION, NOT ONLY THE WORLD, BUT THE FLESH. NOW, WHAT IS THE FLESH? WELL, YOU SAY, I KNOW WHAT THE FLESH IS, THAT’S WHAT COVERS YOUR BONES. NO. I’m not talking about the flesh in that sense. The Bible doesn’t use the word flesh to mean the muscle and the skin and the sinew and the bone and the corpuscles that are in your body. It sometimes does, but when it uses the word flesh to speak about temptation, it uses the word flesh in a different sense. The Bible says in Galatians chapter 5 that the flesh lusts against the spirit. AND THE SPIRIT AGAINST THE FLESH.” WHAT DOES HE MEAN WHEN HE SAYS THE FLESH? HE’S TALKING ABOUT AN INCLINATION THAT YOU HAVE TO DO EVIL THAT IS IN YOU, AN INHERITED PREDISPOSITION TO SIN. IT, WE SOMETIMES CALL IT THE OLD MAN. WE CALL IT THE OLD NATURE, THE ADAMIC NATURE. IT IS CALLED THE FLESH. YOU HAVE IT AND I HAVE IT. WE WERE BORN WITH IT. WE GOT IT FROM OUR PARENTS WHO GOT IT FROM THEIR PARENTS WHO GOT IT FROM THEIR PARENTS WHO GOT IT FROM ADAM. I MEAN IT IS THE FLESH AND IT’S IN YOU AND IT’S IN ME AND THERE IS, I WANT TO TELL YOU, IN YOU A PREDISPOSITION TO SIN. NOW DON’T LOOK SO HOLY, JUST NOD YOUR HEAD. THAT IS TRUE. AND THE BIBLE CALLS THIS PREDISPOSITION TO SIN THE FLESH. Now, so many times we want to say, well, the devil made me sin. The devil can’t make you sin. If the devil could make you sin, you’d have a perfect alibi. You see, sin is an inside job. It comes from your flesh. The devil will help you to sin. The devil will tempt you to sin. The devil will encourage you to sin. But the devil uses your flesh, and I’ve got news for you. If there were no devil, you would go on sinning. You can do it all by yourself. All by yourself. A little boy called his little sister a bad name, hit her with a broomstick and spit on her. The mother remonstrated with the naughty child and said, you shouldn’t have done that. The devil made you do that. He said, the devil made me call her a bad name. And the devil made me hit her with a broomstick, but spitting on her was my idea. I think we would be surprised how much of it is our idea. It comes from that old Adamic nature, that predisposition to sin. Now, the third source of temptation is the devil. I call the world the external foe. I call the flesh the internal foe. I call the devil the infernal foe. the infernal foe, the devil. There is a devil, a real devil, and the devil wants to get you to sin. And so the devil uses the world and the flesh to tempt you to sin. And here is the anatomy of a temptation. Think of the world as a match. Think of your flesh as a pool of gasoline. Think of the devil as someone who strikes the match and throws it. And there you have the anatomy of a sin. How the devil will use the world and the flesh to get you to sin. Now, if you’re tempted, you’re going to be tempted either in the area of the world, the flesh, or the devil. The external foe, the internal foe, the infernal foe, those are the sources of temptation. Your temptation is very common. It’s common to man. Now, let’s think about the seat of your temptation. That’s the third S. Where will you be tempted? TEMPTED NOT WITH WHAT WILL YOU BE TEMPTED BUT WHERE WILL YOU BE TEMPTED REMEMBER THAT SCRIPTURE I GAVE YOU JUST A FEW MOMENTS AGO FIRST THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 5 AND VERSE 23 AND I PRAY GOD YOUR WHOLE SPIRIT AND SOUL AND BODY BE PRESERVED BLAMELESS UNTO THE COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST YOU ARE A SPIRIT A SOUL AND A BODY YOU ARE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD AND GOD IS A TRIUNE GOD AND And you have a triune nature. You’re spirit, soul, and body. You’re one individual, but there are three parts to the human nature. And you’re going to find out that when you’re tempted, you’re either going to be tempted in the area of the spirit or the soul or the body. And it’s very interesting that you understand this because if you don’t understand this, you won’t know exactly how to fight. Now, we said the world is what? THE EXTERNAL FOE. LET ME TELL YOU WHERE THE WORLD WILL TEMPT YOU. THE WORLD WILL TEMPT YOU PRIMARILY IN THE AREA OF YOUR SOUL. NOW WHAT IS THE WORD SOUL? THE GREEK WORD SOUL IS THE WORD PSUKE, WE ANGLICIZE IT AND SAY PSYCHE. YOUR SOUL is your mind, your emotions, and your will, your psyche, your ego, yourself. The person that lives inside this body, that is your soul. With your soul, you have psychological life. And the world, this cosmos, this system, will tempt you primarily in the area of your soul, in the area of your ego. That’s what it is to be worldly. You’re just on an ego trip if you’re a worldly Christian. You’re on an ego trip. Let me give you an example of that. Do you remember in the Bible when Abraham and Lot, his nephew, were having a range war? At least the cowboys were having a range war. And magnanimous Abraham said to his nephew Lot, Lot, listen, let’s not have that strife. We’re brothers, Lot. We ought not to be arguing like this. Lot, I’ll tell you what. You just choose. If you want to go in this direction, I’ll go in that direction. The land’s before us. Just choose. Just take what you want. And the Bible says there in the book of Genesis that Lot lifted up his eyes toward the well-watered plains. There he saw that tall grass, and he knew that would be good for his cattle. And so Lot went east. He pitched his tent toward Sodom and Gomorrah. Now why did he do that? Was it because of the swinging cities, Sodom and Gomorrah? Did he want to go down there because of the sin in Sodom? Oh no, that isn’t why he went down there. He went down there because he wanted more grass. Why did he want more grass? For his cattle. Well, was he missing any meals? Was he hungry? Did he need more cattle? He didn’t need more cattle. He was already fabulously wealthy. He just wanted to be the biggest rancher in all Palestine. That’s all. He wasn’t trying to make more money. He’s just keeping score. He just wanted to be a big shot. And because he wanted to be a big shot, because he was on an ego trip, he said, I want that. AND HE WAS TRYING TO FEED HIS SOUL ON THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD. AND THAT’S, THAT’S A TEMPTATION. AND MANY TODAY ARE BEING TEMPTED EXACTLY THAT WAY. THIS WORLD SYSTEM SAYS YOU GOTTA HAVE MORE, YOU GOTTA DO MORE, YOU GOTTA BE MORE. THAT’S THE WORLD. ALL THAT’S IN THE WORLD, THE LUST OF THE EYES, THE LUST OF THE FLESH, AND THE PRIDE OF LIFE IS NOT OF THE FATHER, IT’S OF THE WORLD. AND IT WARS AGAINST THE SOUL. NOW, What about the flesh? Now we said the flesh is not the body, but the flesh wars against your body. You see, your body will be subject to temptations, physical temptations, the area of appetite, lust, laziness. violence, the flesh. And we’re tempted that way. The flesh uses the body as a vehicle of expression. That’s where so many young people are tempted today and really so many adults also. Let me give you an example of that kind of a temptation. David, King David, looked over a parapet wall there from his palace, and he saw a beautiful woman taking a bath. Her name was Bathsheba. And he watched her. And there was something inside of him, there was that old Adamic predisposition to sin, that lust rose up in him, that sexual temptation, and his pulse quickened. He felt that rush of sexual urge, and there was an incredible sexual temptation to David. NOW, HIS PHYSICAL EMOTIONS, HIS SEXUAL DRIVE, WHICH WAS GIVEN FROM GOD, WAS UNDER BOMBARDMENT FROM THE FLESH, HIS OLDADAMIC NATURE. AND HE GAVE IN AND HE FELL. NOW, WHILE LOT WAS NOT IN THAT KIND OF TEMPTATION, LOT WAS ON AN EGO TRIP. But David’s passions were under attack. His physical frame was under attack from the flesh. And so the external foe wars against the soul. The internal foe wars against the flesh. Now, what about the infernal foe? The devil, what does he war primarily against? Well, you say the devil, he tries to get you to commit adultery. Not primarily. The devil, he tries to get you drunk. No, not primarily. The devil tries to get you on an ego trip. Not primarily. The devil wars against your spirit. Now, what is your spirit? What is the difference between your spirit and your soul? Your soul is the sense of self-consciousness. Your spirit is the sense of God consciousness. You know God through your spirit, don’t you? Plants have a body, but they don’t have a soul. Animals have a body and a soul. That means they have self-consciousness. But no animal has a spirit. Only man has a spirit. You see, that’s what makes man more than an animal. Man can know God, and the Bible says that God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. And God’s spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And the spirit in man is that vehicle of communication and worship and praise and spiritual knowledge. And what does the devil want to do? The devil is the one who tries to separate you from God. Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about. Lot is an example of the world tempting the soul. David is an example of the flesh tempting the body. Simon Peter is an example of the devil tempting the spirit. Remember what Jesus said to Simon Peter just before Simon Peter cursed and swore and denied Christ? Jesus said to him, Simon, Simon, Satan has desired you that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you that your what fail not? Your what? Your faith. Your faith. I have prayed for you that your faith fail not. What was Simon Peter’s temptation when he denied the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, it wasn’t on an ego trip. He wasn’t under sexual attack or the lust of the flesh. His faith faltered. His faith faltered. Satan desired him to sift him as wheat. Primarily what Satan wants to do is to separate you from Almighty God. Now, let me just wrap this up now and talk to you for a few minutes about the subduing of temptation. How are you going to overcome temptation? Now, the Bible says here in our verse, there has no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. And God is faithful. Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you’re able, but will with the temptation make a way of escape? Now, the late great Donald Gray Barnhouse has given us three very wonderful words here, and here they are, and I want you to listen to them. The word is flight, faith, and fight. Get those words, and I’ll tell you how to use them now. The key word is flight. F-L-I-G-H-T. Flight. The lust of the flesh. What is the flesh? That’s that old Adamic nature within us that’s trying to use things, the flesh to tempt us. Now the Bible gives us these words. The Bible says, flee fornication. Flee fornication. Again, the Bible says, flee youthful lusts. You’re not told to fight this kind of temptation. You’re told to flee. Now, if there’s a kind of a temptation, a magazine, a friend, a movie, a program on cable television that arouses things in you that are wrong, you’re just told to get away from it. To flee fornication. Just get away. When I was in college, I had a motto on my desk that said this, he who would not fall down ought not to walk in slippery places. Flee fornication. You kids, when you date, you go to some secluded rendezvous and sit in that automobile. That’s not fleeing fornication. That’s asking for it. It’s like playing with matches in dry grass. You say, now, Lord, keep us pure. Well, you’ve got to flee fornication. You can’t put this garbage in your mind. You can’t go to these filthy R-rated, X-rated things. You cannot watch that trash on television and expect to stay pure. If you’re a man and you say, I watched that and it doesn’t bother me, I’ll tell you what. I believe you’re lying. Well, you may not be lying. Either you’re You’re no man or you’re Superman or you’re a liar. But I believe you’re just lying when you say it doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t affect me. The Bible says, can a man take a fire in his bosom and be not burned? You wouldn’t put garbage in your mouth, would you? Why put garbage in your mind? You flee fornication. You kids, when you go to a date, go to a football game with 50,000 people around. If you’re gonna have a kiss goodnight, do it on the front porch with the porch light burning and her father looking through the keyhole with a shotgun. What am I saying? I’m saying you don’t put yourself into that kind of a situation. If alcohol is a temptation to you, stay away from it. If you’ve got any in the cabinet, pour it down the drain. It’ll burn the hair out of the sink. Just get rid of it. Get rid of that. You’re trying to quit smoking? Well, don’t keep that extra carton in the dresser drawer. Just throw it out. Don’t give it to somebody. Just throw it out. You say, well… God made tobacco. He did. He made it to kill insects, not people. Now listen. Get rid of it. Flee fornication. Learn to be a first-class coward. When Potiphar’s wife tempted Joseph, Joseph was the servant in Potiphar’s house. There was an ungodly woman in that house who had a sexual desire toward Joseph, and she tried to get Joseph to commit fornication with her. When Joseph realized what was happening, when this wicked woman reached out and took Joseph and tried to pull him in bed with her, Joseph got out of there in such a way that he left his coat behind him. He just ran. He just saturated that place with his absence. He just got out of there. Now, we may laugh at that, BUT HE KEPT HIS PURITY. I KNOW SOME PEOPLE TODAY WHO ARE SO STUPID, THEY WOULD SAY, NOW MRS. POTTERFORD YOU OUGHT NOT TO ACT THAT WAY, LET’S JUST KNEEL DOWN BY THE BED AND PRAY ABOUT IT. NO. YOU’RE NOT TOLD TO FIGHT THIS TEMPTATION, YOU’RE TOLD TO FLEE. YOU’RE TOLD TO FLEE. NOW AGAINST THE FLESH, THE KEY WORD IS FLIGHT. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE WORLD? HOW DO YOU OVERCOME THE WORLD? AGAINST THE WORLD, THE KEY WORD IS FAITH. JOHN TELLS US IN HIS EPISTLE, THIS IS THE VICTORY THAT OVERCOMES THE WORLD, EVEN YOUR FAITH. AGAIN, YOU’RE NOT TOLD TO FIGHT WORLDLINESS. REMEMBER WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS, IF ANY MAN LOVED THE WORLD, THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM. NOW PAY ATTENTION. IT DOESN’T SAY THAT THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM BECAUSE HE LOVES THE WORLD. IT SAYS IF ANY MAN LOVED THE WORLD, THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM. THE REASON HE LOVES THE WORLD IS BECAUSE THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM. WHIRLINESS IS SIMPLY A SYMPTOM THAT THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN YOU. SO HOW DO YOU OVERCOME WHIRLINESS? WELL, SUPPOSE YOU’RE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE RED LIGHT COMES ON THE DASHBOARD OF YOUR CAR THAT SAYS THERE’S NO OIL IN THE CRANK CASE. WELL, HOW DO YOU HANDLE THAT? CAN YOU TAKE A HAMMER AND JUST BREAK THAT LIGHT AND IT’S ALL SETTLED? OH NO. That red light on the dashboard just tells you there’s no oil in the crankcase. What you need to do is to pull into a service station and put some oil in the crankcase and the red light goes off, right? Of course. Now, if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. If you find yourself being worldly, And this world is trying to squeeze you into its mold. I’m going to tell you what’s wrong with you. You have not fallen into love with the Lord Jesus Christ. You’re not seeing Christ. And that’s the reason you’re having problems with worldliness. Don’t fight the light on the dashboard. Put some oil in the crankcase. Load up on the Lord Jesus. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. When you feed on Jesus, and you’re feasting on Jesus, and the devil offers you a plate of stale crumbs, you say, no thank you, I’m already satisfied. Right? When you load up on Jesus, you don’t have to be in the back alley eating tin cans with the devil’s billy goats, when you’re already satisfied with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, if worldliness is your problem, faith is your answer. Look to Jesus. See who Jesus is. Let Jesus Christ satisfy you. Okay? Now, Against the flesh, the key word is flight, flee fornication. Against the world, the key word is faith. This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Now what about the infernal foe, the devil? The key word against him is fight, F-I-G-H-T. The Bible says we are to fight the good fight. OF FAITH. THE BIBLE SAYS IN THE BOOK OF JAMES, WE’RE TO RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE WILL FLEE FROM US. YOU’RE NOT TOLD TO RUN FROM HIM. YOU’RE TOLD TO FIGHT. NOT IN YOUR STRENGTH, BUT IN HIS STRENGTH. HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT OF THE DEVIL FLEEING FROM YOU? MOST OF US, WE JUST KIND OF WANT TO HAVE A STANDOFF. WE JUST SAY, DEVIL, IF YOU LEAVE ME ALONE, I’LL LEAVE YOU ALONE. BUT HE’S NOT GOING TO LEAVE YOU ALONE. And he’s not going to leave until you resist him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You say, well, how can I do that? And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death. I want you to know that the devil cares nothing for your resolutions. He’s not afraid of your goodwill. He’s not afraid of your intentions, but he fears the blood of Jesus Christ. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death. When the devil comes and he gets on your case, you bring the blood of Jesus against him. You bring the word of God against him. You bring that commitment to the Lord Jesus against him. And when the devil knocks on your door and the devil comes after you, you don’t have to take it. You don’t have to take it. SO MANY ARE LIKE THAT CAT HAD HIS TAIL STEPPED ON SO MANY TIMES, SOMEBODY COME IN THE ROOM, HE JUST TURNED AROUND, STICK IT OUT AND WAIT. I MEAN, JUST EXPECTING FOR THE DEVIL TO DO WHAT HE’S GOING TO DO. YOU DON’T HAVE TO TAKE THAT STUFF FROM THE DEVIL. I’LL TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN DO, MY FRIEND. I’ll tell you what, you put your sin under the blood of Jesus and understand the power of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when temptation comes to you, don’t be on the defensive. You be on the offensive and you say, Satan, I bring the Word against you. I bring the blood against you. I bring Jesus Christ against you. I resist you in the name of God Almighty. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. It belongs to God. You are trespassing on my father’s property. And in the name of Jesus, you be gone. Resist the devil and he’ll flee from you. And don’t tell me it won’t work until you try it. Against the flesh, the word is flight. Against the world, the word is faith. Against the devil, the infernal foe, the word is fight. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.
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